Dealing with national crisis

The self-assuredness in the Centre’s tone that not a single migrant worker died on Shramik trains due to lack of food, water or medication is irksome. Particularly so, as a senior advocate pointed out to the Supreme Court Bench, when no official number has been released till date and the figure of 80 individuals having lost their lives while travelling is based on news reports. There is nothing unusual about governments strategising to escape blame or denying negligence, but a national crisis — which the plight of migrant workers certainly qualifies as — could have done with a more nuanced response. And an acknowledgement that something has gone terribly wrong, and the problem is far from fixed.

A startling revelation during the course of the hearing, again based on media coverage, was that 644 migrant labourers died during the lockdown. As the apex court delivers its verdict, the core issue that has gained traction is the urgent requirement of a data bank of migrant workers. The absence of actual numbers, as succinctly brought out before the Bench, aggravates these calamities by leaving the administering agencies under-prepared to deal with the challenges.

‘It is in your hands to take care of them’ is the message the Bench has delivered to the states, in a clear indication that foolproof registration of workers who have reached home is on the cards, along with directions to launch employment schemes. The suggestion that states should also facilitate their movement if they want to go back to other states to work is noteworthy. While the Central and state governments have been asked to complete the transportation of migrant workers, whether by rail or road, in the next 15 days, the onus of ensuring their well-being will fall on the states. That is simply impossible without Central funding, like the MGNREGA push, which saw a record number of new job entrants last month. A national crisis requires a united response. Politics and blame game can wait for a later day.

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